Interview with Jared Getenga,Chief Executive Officer Credit Information Sharing Association of Kenya

Credit Information Sharing (CIS) is a process where credit providers (such as banks, microfinance institutions, saccos, etc.) exchange information on their outstanding loans and advances through licensed Credit Reference Bureaus (CRBs). The CRBs are licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya. Through CIS, a lenders accesses reports from the CRB which informs them about the repayment patterns of a borrower. In other markets, CIS is also referred to as Credit Referencing or Credit Reporting, among other terms. In Kenya, as per the Credit Reference Bureau Regulations 2013, commercial and microfinance banks are mandated to share information on their entire loan books, meaning both up to date and late (overdue) repayment details of a borrower are shared. This data is submitted electronically on a monthly basis to the CRBs.